A golf pal of mine living in Phuket told me recently that, for the first time for many years, he needed a golf lesson. He plays off a steady handicap of fourteen but for some six or nine months now, usually when the pressure is on and he has a good score going, or when there is a tight finish to a match, he finds himself slicing badly. He then tries to correct the fault by bringing the club back inside, but ends up duck hooking.
So, last week he called me to arrange a golf lesson with Steve Hamilton, the Asian PGA certified Teaching Professional at Golfasian. Fortunately, Steve was in Phuket at Phuket Country Club and Loch Palm Golf Club teaching two Singapore golfers on a 5 day golf instruction and holiday package.
Steve asked my friend to hit a few balls whilst he watched his swing from various angles. The problem, only a minor fault, was immediately apparent to Steve. My friend was dropping his shoulder on his downswing. This, coupled with swinging too fast (something we all suffer from) resulted in slices and pull hooks.
Steve’s advice was equally simple: just keep the shoulders square and pointed at the target through the swing, and make sure that the body and arms move as one piece throughout the swing.
Having spent only 30 minutes of his time, my golf friend’s game improved almost straight away. He practiced for an hour after the lesson to groove in his new swing. Now he only has two problems. Firstly, because he is using his muscles differently he has a sore back after golf. This will likely disappear as his body adjusts. Secondly, he still cannot putt!
The point of my sharing this story with you is to demonstrate that all of us can easily fall into bad habits without even realizing what we are doing and a short session with a qualified golf teaching professional can often and easily identify the problem.
What better time is there to take some instruction than whilst you are on your next Thailand golfing holiday, when you are relaxed and when you have some time to spare? Your can arrange a golf lesson, perhaps before you go out to play a round say at Thai Country Club in Bangkok or Blue Canyon in Phuket. You could even consider a playing lesson just to tune up your golf game under professional supervision. After all, what better way to enjoy some great Thailand golf courses than to do it with your improved swing and improved score!
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